Politicians are often so out of step with what their people want. They live in a bubble and often the only voices they hear are the clarion calls of those desperately trying to maintain the existing status quo.

The same thing is happening in America. The vast majority of Americans support gays in the military, anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality. The politicans still pretend it is somehow up for debate.

Abbott is a catholic, has made no bones about gay marriage , his party have said no to gay marriage. It’s their party policy and at the moment they’re sticking to a policy. The labour party led by Gillard are mostly in favour of gay marriage according to the polls, the labour state parties are mostly in favour, yet Gillard refuses to accept her party’s majoirty wishes, she’s also an aetheist and lead a non conservative lifestyle….are you sure she’s better than Abbottt, she’s certainly more of a hypocrite than him!

I agree labour are on the whole hell of lot better than the lib/nationals but as for Gillard being better ,then at the moment, I don’t see it myself. A conscience vote on a majoirty coalition govt of 1or 2 extra mps is more or less saying no to gay marriage with the pretence of sitting on the fence and pretending to be nice that she’s actually going to allow a conscience vote on the issue…

Quite right too. This isn’t about individual elected people voting on their consciences
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It’s about individual elected people voting for what their public wants. Maybe they need reminding who votes for them. It may be once every 4-5 years but they still work for us in between.
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It’s a disgrace to be anything other way.

I think she’s doing what Harold Wilson did in 1975 – he called a referendum on membership of the (then) EEC to avoid splitting the Labour party by taking responsibility for the issue himself. Likewise, Gillard is offering a conscience vote to avoid the ire of one side or other of her supporters. Politicians generally put self-preservation before anybody’s rights.

She has to be staunchly homophobic and anti-equality so that the so-called Christians won’t kick up a fuss about her being and atheist and living with a man not her husband. What hypocrites they are. You don’t have to believe in God or in the sanctity of marriage as long as you hate gays as much as we do.

Why don’t they just sayit? It’s the catholic faction within the labour party that mostly oppose it not the conservative faction. Let’s get this straight, the opposition is the conservative side and even many of them support gay marriage in Australia just like the Tory party in the UK. It’s the CATHOLICS that are opposing this and t both sides, in particular labour have a lot of openly hostile catholic MPs who are strongly oppposed to gay marriage.

The greens who seem to be going ahead with a private bill on this are doomed to failure unless she changes her stance. Write to Gillard , I don’t think it matters where you are from since your postal address isn’t compulsory.

If the Prime MInister will not stand behind human rights and the already 80% of the country and people the country who is calling on and fall equality and human rights then the rest of the mps and officaials on the human rights boards and the rest of the human right lawmakers down their need to remove the Prime Minister and replace her with another woman or Man that is for human rights and equal rights and fairness , who will not play game with people and children lives and he communities well being is at stake , you remove her and have her resign are be taken down out of that position and get good human right people in all positions and move the country forward in a equality and humanity progressive state, which it should have been in all along as well as the rest of the world, and their inhumane characters, you need people who will roll up their sleeves and put house shoes on if necessary , just get the job done for humanity and civillizations, and fairness, The abuses and harrrasmen

after six years of same sex marriage in canada; 71% of all canadians support ssm., 17% support civil unions, 12% no recognition. how many same sex marriages have taken place by canadians? not very many! gwm thinks there are also many other issues to think about: queer youth in/out of school, street safety, aging, healthcare, jobs, trans equality, religious facism, racism…

what is the world turning into, where did u leave your morality Australia? That you want to allow this satanic act in your society. I support the stand of the prime minister God’ will supercides that of 71% of the Australians. Stop inviting the wrath of God.

‘My omnipotent fictional sockpuppet could whoop your omnipotent fictional sockpuppet in a fight… ner ner ner ner ner! I win.’
I love it when people invoke mythical characters and stuff words in their mouths to back up a lame argument.

Obviously she doesn’t believe in marriage or commitment herself, so she’s not going to put herself out for gay couples who want to make a formal commitment to each other. But it’s totally dishonest of her to make out that it has anything to do with a definition of an institution that she actually has no time or respect for.